Commey and Beltran headline Top Rank Temecula card Friday

SAN DIEGO, Calif., June 27, 2019 – Summer 2019 boxing action heats up with another Friday card for fans. The action this week comes from Temecula, California as Top Rank Boxing loads up a card with aggressive power punchers looking to make statements and score the chance to face bigger names for bigger paychecks.

The undercard airs on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the main and co-main events airing on the main ESPN cable channel at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Battle tested lightweights Commey and Beltran test their legacy

IBF world lightweight champion Richard Commey of Ghana (28-2, 25 KOs) takes on veteran and former titleholder Ray Beltran of Tucson (36-8-1, 22 KOs). At stake for the winner is a date with the winner of the July 19 title eliminator between Teofimo Lopez and Masayoshi Nakatani. From there, the winner could earn a shot at unified champion and pound for pound player Vasiliy Lomachenko next year to crown an undisputed champion.

Beltran stumbled at the weigh-in coming in nearly two pounds over the limit at 136.8 pounds. Promoters struck a deal allowing the fight to continue as long as Beltran doesn’t rehydrate up more than 10 pounds (146.8 pounds) at the required IBF morning weigh-in on Friday. Commey weighed in at the 135 pound limit.

Beltran is making what amounts to a land stand determining the remainder of his career. With a loss, Beltran falls out of the top tier among lightweights. Beltran held the WBO lightweight title in 2018 but lost it to Jose Pedraza in August. Pedraza then gave up the belt in a blowout against Lomachenko. Beltran scored a win against contender Hiroki Okada in February.

Richard Commey set to defend his IBF title and put it up against another division champion later this year. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Commey, training out of Brooklyn with Andre Rozier, is riding a four fight win streak though he hasn’t faced top talent. He won the vacant title with a second round knockout aagainst Isa Chaniev. His two losses came back to back against Robert Easter Jr. and Denis Shafikov, both by decision in 2017.

Though he is working a three-fight knockout streak, Commey says it’s not his aim. “Every time I prepare for a fight, I don’t try to knock my opponent out,” said Commey this week. “I just work hard, and it always comes as a bonus. (Rozier) always pushes me. I never try and knock out my opponent. It comes when it comes.”

Beltran, who is plenty tough and tested, will make Commey work for the win. For him, the goals on Friday are all purely personal.

“I don’t want to prove nobody nothing,” insists Beltran. “I want to prove to myself that it’s about what I can do. I’ve been doubted most of my career, and it doesn’t matter how much I do or what I accomplish. It’s never enough, so I’m not worried about it.”

Prediction: Beltran pulls out another win

Both Beltran and Commey share rough upbringings, and cherish the opportunity boxing has given them to live and train in the U.S.

“I came from a really rough childhood. There was no hope,” said Beltran of his childhood in Mexico. “I was never satisfied with what life put in front of me. The saying, ‘If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’ I say, (eff) that!’ I don’t want to get lemons. I want to get what I want from life. That’s my mentality.”

“I believe he’s a strong guy, a tough guy, and so am I,” said Commey. “It’s going to be a good fight, but I’m the champion, and I’m going to keep my belt.”

This pair will go for broke and neither is afraid to stand and trade. Don’t expect any sort of finesse out of this fight. We bet you don’t care as long as your beverages are cold. The stakes are high for both men. A loss will do more damage to Beltran than Commey, and he is the man who knows what it’s like to be counted out before the opening bell rings. Beltran performs well under pressure, and that’s why he’s stil around. We’re calling this one for Beltran after 12 hard rounds in front of a friendly house of fans in Southern California.

Super welterweights Adames and Day fight for opportunity

Carlos Adames and Patrick Day want to prove they belong among the super welterweight division’s best on Friday. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

The super welterweight co-feature puts rising star Carlos Adames of the Dominican Republic (17-0, 14 KOs) up against Patrick Day of Freeport, New York (17-2-1, 6 KOs) in a ten round fight with Adames’ regional belts at stake.

Adames, a former sparring partner for former unified lightweight and current welterweight champion Terence Crawford, is coming off an impressive fourth round stoppage against veteran Frank Galarza. This will be the second fight for Adames working under Riverside based trainer Robert Garcia, whose gym isn’t far from Friday’s venue, and insists no one can beat him in the ring including Day. “The Dominican Republic is known for having good baseball players, but I’m trying to make it known that the country has good boxers as well.”

Day’s only prior appearance in California was a loss to Alantez Fox, and he’d love to reverse his fortunes at Pechanga. “I just want to be great at something, not only in boxing but in life. And in life, I just happen to choose to box,” said Day. “I’m not going to be mediocre. I suffered two defeats early in my career, so I had to {look within} and really evaluate myself.”

Day says both he and Adames deserve the opportunity Friday, claiming the current titleholders at 154 pounds haven’t really been tested.

“They talk big, they have the big ego and they’re really cocky, but what have they done?” asked Day. “They’re not fighters like me and Carlos are. We’re going to set the tone, and we’re going to set an example for the 154-pound division.” Big talk sets up big expectations, but it’s hard to see either man taking on men like Munguia, Hurd, Julian Williams, Tony Harrison, or Jessie Vargas. Both men can take a big step toward this goal Friday night.

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, MS, APR, is President of the Falcon Valley Group, a San Diego based communications consulting firm. Falkenthal is a veteran award-winning broadcast and print journalist, editor, producer, talk host and commentator. She is an instructor at National University in San Diego, and previously taught in the School of Journalism & Media Studies at San Diego State University.